Bags of Bones
by DriftStuck
Summary: "You seem like someone who likes adventure and shouldn't you have more hope to explore the mysteries of the world as I'm sure you do. Maybe you'll find yourself. Maybe you'll find true love. You don't know that unless you leave the past behind and go forward." Dirk/Jake Sadstuck AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Bags of Bones**

Chapter 1/3

Of all the things you've seen as a volunteer in this hospital, you've never seen so much blood on a living person who had been this injured. He couldn't have been much older than your own age. It made you wonder what caused this. There were no gangs in this area, but who knows what lurks the city at night. Your brother always warned you of how dangerous the night life was, but unlike most would think, you listened. You've heard the rumors and stories, and for all you know, this could've been proof. You just watch him be carted past you on the stretcher into the Operating Room in a flash. He needed help fast. Anyone with half a brain could see that. You let out a sigh and go on with your life.

What was worse was some of the volunteers took in the grim bets of anyone who came in such critical conditions. Betting if they'd die or not. You never took part, you never saw the need.

It was the next day that you saw someone new in one of the hospital rooms you tended to. From what you could see, he was a boy with tanned skin and dark hair. His back was bandaged up and a small patch of gauze was taped onto his cheek that currently faced you. "Hey! Are you going to help us or not?" said the patient known as "Cranky Myrtle". That made the boy face you and you feel your face heat up just a tad. Those emerald eyes that looked at you just got to you. You were passing out the breakfasts right now. You handed Myrtle her food and she greedily started eating it. You hand the boy his breakfast and he just stares at it for a moment. Then he speaks. "Does this have peanuts in it?" He has an accent that was not like the Texan ones you were used to.

You look over the food on his tray and it looked like food that didn't need peanuts, but you reach into the cart to read over the allergy warnings. You look back at him as he stares expectantly. "There are no peanuts in this. There was a peanut option, but you have to request it." You tell him with your usual poker face. He smiled and nods.

"Thank you greatly, good sir!"

"No problem." You say a little more quietly. You know other patients are waiting on you so you nod to him and you go out of the room. You can feel those green eyes watch you leave until you turn the corner and then there is silence until you turn the other corner to give the kids their breakfast. They seem to have that same hopeful look as that other guy had. One kid cheered since it was his favorite that they served here. It was adorable in your mind.

But you would have to visit that one guy on your break. And you did. You walked in after handing out the lunch trays and went over to him. "Mind if I sit with you?" you ask. He looks at you with an owlish look before it softens and he nods. "Then may I call you my visitor?" he asks with a hopeful look. You manage a slight smile from your calm expression.

"It'd be an honor." You say which makes him smile brightly before going back to politely eating his food. He pauses in between bites before asking "Who are you, anyways?"

"I'll tell you as long as you answer me the same question." He nods before you respond. "My name is Dirk Strider. But call me Dirk." You extend your hand to shake which he enthusiastically takes and starts shaking it. "Nice to meet you, chum! My name is Jake. Jake English!" You can't help but smile more.

"Nice to meet you too, dude."

During your break, you spent time talking about yourself and he would respond with small tidbits about himself. But there seemed to be holes in his stories that he would tell you. Something missing in them. They seemed to be important bits that would tie the story together. And he would sometimes mention how he thought he knew something else, but couldn't quite remember what it was. You had the feeling he had had some sort of head injury that caused this either when he came in or before. Either way, it seemed sad. It was probably lucky Jake remembered his name, though. He remembered smaller information that was helpful to him as well.

By the end of your break, you were both well acquainted. Before you left, Jake looked around the room curiously. "Dirk?" he asked. "Do you know where my grandmother is?" You gave him a confused look. You would tell him the truth. "I didn't see her, Jake. I'm sorry." You tell him. He nods sadly and you leave. It hurt to see him so sad. He was laughing and happy before, it was a tragedy to see those green eyes dull with sadness.

You worked with the other volunteers and just before you check out, you decide to talk to the head of the volunteer group who also was the head nurse. "Mrs. G, do you know where Jake English's grandmother is?" you ask in hopes of getting an answer. The nurse shook her head and told you that when Jake came in yesterday, he was alone and there was no one else with him when he was found. That's when it clicked. Jake was the person that came in covered in blood. That's why he was having so many difficulties…

You return to your apartment where it was surprisingly quiet with only your brother clacking away on his computer for the new script for the next movie. You seemed to be more expressive that usual when you start going to your room. "What's wrong?" he asks you. You look over, hiding the shock quite well. Dave looks at you expectantly behind his shades and you decide to spill. "Some kid came into the hospital and we talked a lot about stuff. And he doesn't remember much and he was looking for his grandmother. And those eyes, yo. His eyes showed way too much for me to handle." You explain. That's when Dave swirled around in the office chair and shook his head. "Dirk, I know exactly what you're going through since I've been through loops like this before. Depending on how things go, this might not be worth the attachment. If anything, when he's discharged, he might be from some farther away place and he'll go there to live with whatever family he has. You don't know if his grandmother is dead. She could be alive and waiting for him to come home. Consider those things before diving into something like this, alright kid?" he explains. You knew that might be the case, but you couldn't help but wonder and know what happened to Jake's grandmother.

After an uneventful dinner of leftover pizza, you go to your room to look through the computer for clues. You didn't know where to start, though. You didn't know his grandmother's name. So, you tried to use his. You typed in "Jake English Death". The article or whatever may have held his name if he lived with her. And the first thing that popped up ripped your heart in two.

"_**Hunting accident turned deadly**_

_Jade English, aged 88, was the victim of a hunting accident while hunting herself. She was not in possession of a hunting vest when a hunter mistook her for an animal. Coroner reports say she was killed instantly from the gunshot wound. …[lots of nonsense you didn't want to read through was typed here]… She leaves behind a young grandson, Jake English, aged 8."_

You couldn't believe what you had just read. His grandmother was dead, but Jake was so young at the time. Why would he be questioning her whereabouts now? He obviously lost a lot of memories when he went into the hospital with all that damage. And to know that had left Jake alone was just hurtful. He wondered how the guy would take the news. And you would find out tomorrow.

"What in the bloody two fucks do you mean my grandmother is dead? I think I would remember that!" he shrieked as you were passing his room. You pause just after passing the doorway and listen in. "Mr. English, you have a case of selective amnesia. You remember bits and pieces of your past, but not everything is there. Don't you agree that it's weird that you find yourself forgetting bits of your life? Or even that you don't have a grandmother?" the doctor asked. Jake was just not having this. You could hear the hurt and tears in his voice.

"How could my grandmother be dead? Why don't I realize this? Why don't I realize how alone I am now?" he said, a bit quieter. "Am I able to leave this bed to go walk and clear my head?"

"Your back is in poor condition. Those injuries you received on your back and legs won't allow you to walk for another two weeks. I'm sorry."  
"Oh… Then I would like to be left alone now…" Jake said in a quiet voice. The hurt was overwhelming in that tone. You quickly go on with your duties, lucky to not have seen how hurt he would look or the fact that those eyes would plead for him to go and say something to the doctors.

You go to see him on your lunch break to find he hadn't touched his food. You sat in the chair next to him and said "You do realize that if you don't eat on your own, they'll force it down your throat, right?" He doesn't look at you; he just stares in front of him. He silently shakes his head no. You sigh and shake your head this time. "Eating is a good way of getting out of here sooner. You need to explore the world as you should. You seem like someone who likes adventure and shouldn't you have more hope to explore the mysteries of the world as I'm sure you do. Maybe you'll find yourself. Maybe you'll find true love. You don't know that unless you leave the past behind and go forward. I don't know much about losing a loved one that's important to you, but wouldn't you agree that your grandmother would've liked to see you go on to be a strong man who could go on to find something amazing? I know that I would feel that way about my kid. Get out of here soon. I'd like to see you in the papers one day." You say to him. Where you got the sappy speech even you don't know. But it got through to him, and that's what you wanted.

"Golly, Dirk! I never knew you had such a thing held back for such a chap like me. I know I couldn't hold a candle to such a speech! I will work on getting better. For you and your touching words." He said with a cheerful tone to his voice. You could feel a light heat somewhat rise to your face. You couldn't believe you felt the light pangs of a blush touch your face like this. It was so uncool. You place a gentle hand on his shoulder and lightly shake it. "It's the least I could do to see that smile. I need to get back to work. I'll see ya later." You said as you got up and waved to him. He gave you a bright grin as you left. Once you turned the corner, you let that blush you were holding back out with the poker face you normally held. Who knew people still said golly in this day and age. But it worked for Jake, and you wouldn't mind hearing that more from Jake.

Who knew how it would be to see him grin like that and hear him say "I love you!" It was a magnificent thought and you hoped one day you would hear that from him. Why were you thinking that? You were above this… or so you thought. But regardless, you wouldn't mind hearing and seeing that from him. Nothing was wrong with this in your mind. And after this, you would spend the next week continuing to talk together and you would help him heal, one day at a time. He would seem to act brighter than before, but you weren't complaining. Dave was slowly getting annoyed with your late returns from the hospital because of the visits with Jake. You would explain yourself, but he would shake his head and leave you alone. This was normal, in your eyes. Jake gave you more hope than you had known. You went to your big screen TV in your room and started watching the nearest anime DVD you had in your reach. You watch it and find it's a romantic comedy. This felt so appropriate. Your only worry about this was you and Jake wouldn't end in tragedy.


	2. Chapter 2

**Bags of Bones**

**Chapter 2/3**

Your name is Dirk Strider, and you've been run over by a pick-up truck. All you remember before the collision was bright headlights illuminating the side of you as you skateboarded home. The rest was blank. From what you could tell, you were out for about a day. You could see a calendar from across the hall. You felt some serious pain in your ribs to the point where the thought of sitting up was painful. You touched your head and found a piece of gauze taped to your forehead. You were just a mess all over. You hear what sounds like a cane tapping the floor nearby. You turn your head to see Jake.

"My word! What happened to you, chum?" Jake said as he slowly made his way over. He paused to see your eyes, which were full of expression and orange, staring back at him. "You have some pretty eyes, there." He said absentmindedly. Your eyes widened at him and he couldn't help the smile. "It's nice to actually see your face, old chap. I wondered what you were hiding behind those glasses." He said. You look away and decide to answer his question.

"Got hit by a truck on my way home. The guy probably called the ambulance that brought me here." You answered as his eyes widened in shock.

"That's no good! Dirk, I will visit you every day like you did me! I refuse to take no for an answer!" Jake told you triumphantly. You couldn't help the chuckle that passed through your lips. Ever the gentleman, it seemed. "Would you like me to grab you anything? Some water, perhaps?" he asks.

"Water sounds good." You tell him. He nodded and went off to grab you some water. While he was out, the doctor came in and said "Well, look who is finally awake! How are you feeling?"  
"Like a million bucks. How long before I can sit up?"

"You'll be here for at least a week. Your brother will be here shortly."  
"Too busy with the new production to be the first in line to see me? Bastard."

"Actually, he didn't answer the phone the first three times. When we finally got through to him, he was worried sick about you not being home yet." The doctor told you, which surprised you. Normally your brother never gave a shit, but it seemed he did. Then he was escorted in by a nurse. You could tell his eyes were wide behind those shades as he looked at you. Well, why wouldn't they be? You were on a hospital bed all bandaged up with who knows what kind of injuries.

"Ah, Mr. Strider! Good for you to come in." the doctor said. Dave just bypassed the doctor and went straight to you.

"Dirk? Are you okay? I made sure our insurance would cover all of this, so don't worry. You'll be out of here in no time." He told you, which shocked you to see him so worried like this.

"You don't need to be like this, bro. I'll be fine, alright?" you tell him as you place a hand over his. He silently nods and sits down where Jake was seated earlier. While the doctor spoke to Dave about your injuries, Jake came in with ice water and a bendy straw so you didn't have to worry about making a mess when drinking it. He noticed the doctor and walked over. "This is fine for him, right?" he asked as he held up the drink. The doctor looked at him and nodded before returning to their conversation. Jake handed you the water and you carefully took it before using the straw to take a sip.

The drink is good for your dry mouth and throat. You let out a quiet sigh before the bed near your feet depresses. You look to see Jake sitting there, watching you. "Better?" he asks you. You nod and take another sip. He smiles and just keeps watch of you. You raise an eyebrow to him. "You should take a picture, it will last longer." You say sarcastically. He takes it as a joke and lets out a boyish laugh. You have slowly found yourself falling for the boy, but for what reason? You have only known each other for two weeks. But the image of those bright green eyes looking into your own orange ones as you held each other close never left. Those eyes that you felt constantly sought yours in an effort to seek your approval in everything you two did together. It was something you didn't want changing.

And it didn't while you were injured. Even though you had many visitors to make sure you were okay, Jake was always there for you. The only thing you didn't like was seeing those sad eyes when he saw the visitors you had and no one came to visit him. It made you sad too since you knew he had no one to visit him while he was here. But when the visitors you had would leave, you two would be like chatterboxes and your love would grow stronger. When you two were left alone and you had started to be able to sit up, you sat up and saw Jake having tears in his eyes. "I don't understand it, Dirk…" he said with a sniffle. "Where are my visitors? I want to see my gran again…" he finished as he buried his face in his hands. That sight broke your heart. You held him in your arms tightly, even though the strength made your chest hurt as much as your heart was.

"Jake, you have me. We have each other and just having your visits are enough for me, alright?"

"B-but… You get other visi—"

"No buts! You are my favorite visitor and I would be sad if I lost you as a visitor." You said as he started crying again. That's when you decided to sing to him.

"_We bonded, over broken bones…_

_Whose broke skin. Whose fractured in two places._

_And whose hurt the most."_ You started singing. It was the song "Bags of Bones" by Owen. As you sang, you hesitated before singing the lines:  
_"You and me_

_A hospital love scene…_

_If only these broken bodies_

_Were ours… forever."_

He gasped at the sound of the love scene line. He looked at you with a curious look. You sigh and decide to tell him. "Jake, I have some serious feelings for you. I wouldn't want to be with anyone else. Maybe I'm stupid for feeling this way, bu—" you are immediately interrupted with him kissing your lips. You immediately melt into it and kiss him back. After a couple seconds of holding it there, you pull away. He smiles at you and says "No buts." You look at him in shock. "If you keep up with that look, I won't be able to kiss you more!" Your orange eyes light up as he said that, and that's when he realized how expressive your eyes were. You pull him close and kiss him again. You two continued swapping spit until Jake had to return to his room. You gave each other a quick kiss goodbye before he left to go back to his room down the hall.

Your name is Dirk Strider and you are now completely sure you are in love with Jake English. And no one could take that fact away.


	3. Chapter 3

**Bags of Bones**

**Chapter 3/3**

It had finally fucking happened. After a week of a carefully hidden relationship that made you two had that made you both so happy was at an end thanks to a nurse walking in on a make out session you both thought wouldn't be interrupted. Your name is Dirk Strider and you just got your cover busted and your relationship ruined. Jake just paled at the sight of the nurse and you could feel the shock as well. She shooed Jake out at once by dragging him back to his room with him protesting while you looked on with guilt. You held out your hand in vain. You tried to reach out to him. It was your fault since you asked for this beforehand.

The nurse comes back and frowns at you. "You know PDA is not allowed in this hospital. Especially if it's among patients. We don't want anything spread around." She says, but you know what it was really about. It was about two boys kissing in the hospital that wasn't tolerant of it. You could only imagine how hurt Jake was. He didn't even want to think if he was crying. You had another week before you'd leave, and it'd be the longest week of your life, you were sure of it. And it would be the loneliest too. Jake was the only one who kept you company more often than not.

It was, as predicted, a long week. You could hear Jake's loud protests, demanding to see you and it hurt to hear the nurses say no and make him go back to his room. You could hear the pain in his voice. All you wanted was to hug and kiss the pain away. You know he needed that. When you were discharged and Dave brought you home, you were marched past Jake's room where he looked at you with a sad look. As you walked away, you made a heart shape with both hands so he knew you still cared. And when you were home, you tried calling him. The hospital denied that request. You shouted that was denying your rights and they hung up. You never felt so alone.

When you were allowed to come back for volunteer work, you were given a new area of work. You were not allowed near Jake's room. You went through the day with your usual poker face, but the cracks in that mask were showing. Some of the older patients asked you if anything was wrong, but you told them otherwise. You were fine, even though you were dying inside. You decided that since you were near a broom closet on your break, you'd let yourself have a good cry. You haven't had one of those in a couple years. You slipped inside and quietly had tearful thoughts of Jake and how hurt he must be before slipping out as if nothing had happened. You were a master of hiding feelings sometimes.

One day, you were passing by Jake's room. Alone. Since you were alone, you slip in to visit him. You walk in to an awful sight. Jake was hooked up to a few monitors to keep track of his heart and brain activity. What could've happened? Your orange eyes widened as they looked at your beloved. You picked up the clipboard at the end of the bed to see what happened. He stopped eating for the most part which caused some issues in his brain and heart. You place the clipboard back and walked over to Jake's bedside. You take his hand and brush the hair out of his face. "I'm here, Jake. I want to stay with you forever, but I unfortunately can't. We'll be together soon, I know it." You say softly. You lean up and kiss his forehead, then his hand, before reluctantly letting go and getting up. You cursed this damn hospital for its injustice! You walk away, even though you want to stay at his side until he woke up.

Life is one cruel mistress.

You finally get the call you've been waiting awhile for. They found out about you sneaking into Jake's room and it turned out it helped a lot. They were going to allow you to visit once a day on supervision. It wasn't much, but you'd take it! You see him tomorrow. When you do, there is more color to his cheeks than before. You take his hand and start talking to him softly. The nurse is watching from the door. You only had ten minutes, but you make the most of that time. You tell him everything. You tell him what you've been through. You tell him how much you love him. How much you don't want to leave. When you are told your time is up, you squeeze his hand and kiss his cheek before going away. You would've kissed his lips, but that would've been a step too far here.

You leave wordlessly and continue on with your day, but with a much happier note of being able to see Jake. You were happy, even if you didn't allow it to show much. When you get home, Dave isn't home. He left a note that there was leftover pizza in the fridge. There was a message on the machine. It was a message from the hospital to say that you were allowed to visit more since Jake showed signs of improvement in your company. Maybe he'd wake up with you there! So, you visit as much as they'd allow you to. You talk about things as if he were up and talking back. In a way, he was. You always ended on the same three words when you left. "I love you." You could only hope one day he'd say it back.

That day would be one hell of a day. You could just imagine the grin on his face just before he says "I love you too!" He was a perfect human being and it was a shame he was here. It hurt to see him in this condition. You'd read that he'd also been having breathing troubles recently as well, so he had to be carefully monitored breathing-wise. You don't know why, but you felt something awful about this.

It was 4:13 AM on a hot July night in Texas. Your name is Dirk Strider and you woke up from a bad dream. You dreamed you were sleeping peacefully in a nice comfortable bed. Suddenly, you couldn't breathe! You tried getting up to tell someone, but you couldn't find the words. You woke up before the obvious ending. You were in a cold sweat and you hugged yourself as you calmed yourself down. You had the day free from volunteering, but the whole day for Jake. You were excited to see him again.

You go in the next day with some flowers picked from the side of the street. The way you felt Jake would enjoy the cheesy factor of it. You walk in to the room and look in confusion at his bed. The monitors were gone, but so was Jake. His bed was neatly placed back as it was. You see a passing nurse and asked "Where'd Jake go?" The nurse looks awful at the mention of Jake. She places a hand on your shoulder and begins to speak.

"Dirk, at 4:13 last night, Jake passed away from cardiac arrest. We just couldn't revive him. He's in the morgue right now to get cremated. I can pull some strings and see if you can spread the ashes since he has no family we can contact."

You couldn't believe this awful news. Jake was dead. A tear went down your face as you dropped the flowers in shock. "I'd like that. I know where to spread his ashes, he told me about this place a lot." You said shakily. She nodded and gave you a hug before going to finish her rounds. You were just a mess. You go home to just figure out how to handle this. You just lost your boyfriend; it wasn't going to be easy. When they called to say the ashes were ready, you were there in a flash. You carefully take the ashes and look at the urn in sadness before hugging the sealed container. "I got ya, Jake." You said softly.

You go into the woods and down to the old Silver Lake that was a ways away. You find it and open the urn. You spread the ashes into the water and wondered how happy he'd be to know he could stay here and swim in these waters forever. You wipe the tears away before you have this dream-like vision thing. You see Jake in front of you, grinning his usual grin as he stands in front of an elderly lady who you can only assume is his grandmother. "Thank you, Dirk. I love you so, so much!" he said happily. It's so real that you almost go to kiss him, but are stopped by being back in the middle of the woods. You wipe the tears from your face as you smile a bit. You knew he was home where he belonged. You knew he would be there waiting for you on the other side, because that was the kind of loyal guy he was. And for that, you'd love him till death and beyond.


End file.
